University of Texas - Arlington Men's Cross Country

Sauerhage accomplished something that had never been achieved in school history when he led the UTA women to the "triple crown," winning the cross country, indoor and outdoor conference championships. The Maverick women accomplished the feat a second time in 2001. Fast forward to the present and it is obvious that UTA's track and field success has been sustained. In 2012-13, Sauerhage led the Maverick men to the Western Athletic Conference cross country championship and league runner-up showings in men's indoor and women's outdoor track. In 2012, the men's indoor track team placed 26th in the nation, the third-best showing by any school without a Division I football program. In 2007, Sauerhage earned his biggest individual accolade when the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) named him the Division I Outdoor Track and Field Men's South Central District Coach of the Year. He won the award after guiding the men's team to its first SLC outdoor team title in more than a decade with a one-point win over UTSA. Sauerhage's entire resume is impressive. The women's indoor team claimed Southland Conference titles in each of his first six seasons, and he was named SLC Women's Indoor Track Coach of the Year each time in that stretch. From 1998-2001, he accumulated more 10 conference titles -- four in women's outdoor, four in men's indoor and two in men's outdoor. In addition, Sauerhage has coached the men's cross country team to three conference championships, including two straight, and the women's cross country team to three conference titles, including back-to-back titles in 2001-02. The Southland Conference named him Cross Country Coach of the Year three times. Sauerhage has coached 29 athletes who have received All-America honors and in 2014 had a pair of individuals, Clayton Vaughn (100m, 200m) and Emil Blomberg (steeplechase), and the 4x100 relay team reach the NCAA Outdoor Championships. During the indoor season, Vaughn had the nation's fastest 60-meter time (6.55) but was injured and unable to compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Three athletes, Romain Martin (heptathlon), Bozidar Antunovic (shot put) and Vaughn (60m), snared All-America mention at the 2013 NCAA Indoor Championships. Martin then completed his brilliant career with a sixth-place landing in the decathlon at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, giving him his sixth All-American honor in a multi-event competition. In the 2012 outdoor season, Martin finished as runner up in the decathlon, earning First-Team All-America accolades for the second straight year and registering the highest placement by a UTA athlete at an NCAA meet since McClinton Neal won the 1991 crown in the 400-meter hurdles. As a result, the team finished 33rd nationally. Since 1989, Sauerhage has coached 10 athletes to individual conference championships in cross country. UTA athletes have also won more than 80 league track titles in mid-distance and distance events ranging from the 800m to the 10000m. UTA athletes have also performed on the highest levels of international competition. Former athletes Jared Connaughton (for Canada in 2008 and 2012), Takeshi Fujiwara (for El Salvador in 2004) and Elston Cawley (for Jamaica in 1996) competed in the Olympics. Sauerhage has also coached five athletes who have earned trips to the IAAF World Championships. His program has succeeded off the track as well. The USTFCCCA has honored the men's and women's teams and individuals numerous times over the years. Sauerhage, a former UTA standout, returned to his alma mater in 1989 as an assistant coach, a role in which he filled for seven years prior to being named the head coach in the fall of 1996. Sauerhage began his collegiate athletic career at LSU, where he placed sixth in the Southeastern Conference in the 1000-yard and indoor mile distances. He also ran a personal-best time of 3:45.36 in the 1500 meters. In 1982, he transferred to UT Arlington. As a member of the UTA track and field team, Sauerhage won the SLC title in the mile and was a member of the school record-holding 6000-meter relay team. He ranks second in UTA history in the 1500 meters in both indoor and outdoor with times of 3:51.50 and 3:49.35, respectively. As a prep, Sauerhage was a six-time state qualifier for Arlington High School, won the Class 5A state title in the mile run in 1979 and ran a personal-best 4:10.6 in the mile. In addition to his collegiate experience, Sauerhage has also coached on the international level having served as the head coach of the El Salvadorian national team at the 2009 World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia. Sauerhage graduated from UT Arlington in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in physical education. He received a master's degree in education from Louisiana-Monroe in 1988 while serving as a graduate assistant coach. An avid fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, Sauerhage and his wife, Lisa, reside in Arlington.

Berger mentored an astounding 35 All-Western Athletic Conference performers, including four individual conference champions. In addition, the Maverick men (indoor) and women (outdoor) each grabbed runner-up team finishes in the WAC. Highlighting the list of notable athletes under Berger's direction is multi-event specialist Romain Martin, who secured six All-American accolades during his time in Arlington, with three in the heptathlon and three in the decathlon. Martin earned a runner-up finish in the decathlon at the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Championships, the best individual finish by a Maverick athlete in two decades. His top heptathlon finish also came in 2012, when Martin took third at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Martin is not alone in his accomplishments, however. In 2011, Isiah Clements claimed second-team All-America accolades in the outdoor high jump, while Jon McDowell earned All-America plaudits in the 110m hurdles in 2007. A total of 14 of Berger's athletes own top-3 marks in UTA history, led by Martin, who owns the school record in both the heptathlon and decathlon. In addition, Danielle Delage (women's indoor pentathlon), Roland Sales (men's indoor high jump) and DeOna Stafford (women's indoor 60m hurdles) are UTA record holders. Other standouts include: Stafford (2nd in 100m hurdles), McDowell (2nd in 110m hurdles), Clements (2nd in high jump), Ivan Storic (2nd in javelin), Adolphus Jones (2nd in heptathlon and decathlon), Casey Keeter (3rd in indoor shot put and outdoor shot put), James Turner (3rd in heptathlon) and Renan Palma (3rd in 60m hurdles). A former UTA student-athlete from 1996-99, Berger competed in both the decathlon as well as the 110m and 400m hurdles. As a collegian, he helped the Mavericks win three indoor conference team championships and a pair of outdoor league titles. As a prep, Berger was a state qualifier in the 110m hurdles and helped his Odessa Permian team to the 1993 Class 5A state championship. Berger is in his second stint as a coach with the track and field program. In 2000, he was a student assistant, coaching multi-event and field event athletes while also coordinating travel. Berger served as assistant events manager at Maverick Stadium from 2001 to 2007. A 2000 graduate of UT Arlington with a degree in biology, Berger is married to Mishael Bertrand-Berger.